Kentucky Man Charged With Murder Following Fatal UTV Crash Involving Alcohol Provided to Minors

Noah Back faces murder charges in Perry County after allegedly buying alcohol for minors involved in a fatal UTV crash that killed a 16-year-old.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 24, 2026, 8:15 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from WKYT

A Tragic Intersection of Impairment and Negligence

The community of Perry County is grappling with the aftermath of a fatal recreational vehicle accident that has led to a major criminal investigation. On Saturday, deputies from the Perry County Sheriff’s Office took 26-year-old Noah Back into custody following the death of Emilynn Clark, 16. The arrest follows weeks of forensic analysis and witness interviews aimed at determining the sequence of events that led to a UTV crash in a rural area of eastern Kentucky.

Forensic Evidence Points to Underage Consumption

Sheriff Joe Engle noted that the timing of the murder charge was directly tied to recent confirmation from the Kentucky State Police laboratory. Lab results received on Friday indicated that the juvenile driver of the vehicle was operating well over the legal limit for alcohol at the time of the crash. While the deceased teenager, Emilynn Clark, was found to have no drugs or alcohol in her system, the impairment of the driver has been identified as a primary factor in the loss of control that caused the fatal rollover.

Surveillance Footage Links Suspect to Alcohol Purchase

Central to the prosecution's case is video evidence obtained from a retail location in the town of Vicco. According to investigators, the footage depicts Noah Back purchasing alcohol earlier on the day of the accident and subsequently handing the beverages to a minor waiting outside in a UTV. This transaction is being treated as the catalyst for the tragedy, as it provided the means for the driver’s impairment. The Sheriff’s Office has signaled that these findings will form the basis for additional charges beyond the initial murder count.